Chapter 67: Night Assault on the Dog Farm

On a night of dark moon and high winds—the perfect time for murder and arson, as the saying goes. At least, that’s what criminals believe; for police officers, a night like this means the perfect time to catch them.

Officer Xu was the fastest report-writer in the entire bureau. When a major case like this was filed, nobody cared if the approving officer was on duty or not. Even if the chief was in bed with his wife, he’d be hauled out to sign the paperwork. A midnight operation was the quickest way to get approval.

Everyone suited up and set out.

This time, the challenge wasn’t the people—they could handle those—but the dogs. Given the size of the kennel, even if they pooled all the anesthetics from the local veterinary station, it wouldn’t be enough. The stuff isn’t used in large quantities, and the station’s reserves were limited. If the kennel owner cooperated, it would be one thing; if not, and the dogs got riled up, the damage could be serious.

Officer Xu and Officer Tang sat together in one of the vehicles, watching as Xu loaded bullets into a magazine.

“Here, take these,” Officer Tang handed him several live rounds.

“Sir,” Xu asked in confusion, “why are you giving these to me?”

Tang kept his focus on the task at hand, answering offhandedly, “Last time, we arrested a murderer—plenty of guns, and it all went smoothly. This time, we’re facing beasts who don’t understand human words. Take some real ammo, just to be safe.”

“You’re not taking any?”

“I’m getting old; I can’t shoot as well as you young guys.” Tang slid the magazine back into his gun.

“You’re loading only blanks? Not even rubber bullets?” Xu peered over. “Afraid of hitting your own men?”

Tang jabbed him with his elbow, grinning, “Get out of here. I’m your instructor. I could take you down without a gun.”

“Well, that’s true…” Xu mused as he loaded the bullets. “According to our informant, the kennel owner lives there every day and always wanders around with a big dog. Looks pretty suspicious.”

“Either way, there’s no sneaking in quietly to grab him,” Tang said, his expression serious as he gazed out the window at the rapidly passing landscape. “The faster we get him, the better.”

If the owner released the dogs, it would be a brutal fight.

The kennel was on the outskirts, occupying several hundred square meters. They were still a hundred meters away when the barking began—first a couple of barks, then a whole chorus. Well-trained dogs are both vigilant and fiercely protective of their territory. To minimize casualties, the officers didn’t storm in directly. Instead, Officer Xu went to try and trick the kennel staff into opening the door.

The man Xu had seen earlier that day emerged, yawning and visibly annoyed. “Who is it? It’s the middle of the night! What do you want?”

“It’s me; we met earlier,” Xu called from the gate, his armed colleagues stationed on either side. He smiled and greeted the man, “I thought it over and decided I’d like to buy a puppy, raise it from a young age. Maybe it’ll turn out better that way.”

“That couldn’t wait until morning? You had to come in the middle of the night?” The man grumbled.

Someone else inside called out, “Who is it?”

“A customer,” the man replied, scratching his head and sighing as he opened the gate. “You people are so strange, always making trouble.”

As soon as the gate opened, Xu stepped in and grabbed the iron door. Before the man could react, the officers lying in wait on both sides swarmed in. Their roles were clear: two of them restrained the man before he could shout, while the others rushed into the kennel to apprehend the suspects.

They moved quickly. Before the owner could release the dogs, they had guns trained on him. But the big dog that always stayed by his side leapt to protect him, lunging at the lead officer. The dog was vicious and well-trained—it went straight for the throat. Had the officer not raised his arm to shield himself, he would have been killed instantly.

The kennel owner tried to make a run for it, but another officer fired a warning shot. Several officers tackled him, cuffed him, while the others subdued the attacking dog.

The gunshot sent the rest of the kennel into pandemonium; dogs barked furiously, all of them agitated. Officer Xu, having been here during the day, knew the layout. He dashed to the rear yard, where he found a woman in pajamas trying to open a gate. Behind her, a dozen pairs of glowing green eyes stared at him from the darkness.

A chill ran down Xu’s spine. He sprinted over, shouting, “Stop! Police! Stop right there!”

As he grabbed the woman, the gate to the yard swung open.

These dogs were different from the ones in the main kennel: large breeds, silent save for a few wolf-like whimpers. Several black shapes flashed past, knocking both Xu and the woman to the ground.

Xu felt sharp pain as jaws clamped down on his arms and legs. The lead wolfdog opened its maw wide, aiming for his throat—Xu could almost count its teeth. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed its jaws with both hands, trying to angle his gun downward toward the animal.

“Tiansheng!” Officer Tang arrived, saw the scene, and without hesitation fired three shots in rapid succession into the pack.

The deafening gunfire startled the dogs for a moment. Xu seized the opportunity, forcing the barrel down—Bang! Even though his first few rounds were blanks, at such close range, the shot tore into the wolfdog, blood and flesh spraying everywhere.

After subduing the dogs, Tang didn’t check on Xu immediately; instead, he strode over to slam the yard gate shut. The other officers arrived in quick succession. Several of the large dogs that had attacked were shot dead on the spot, and three injured were rushed to the hospital.

The two officers’ wounds were mostly on their limbs. The woman who had tried to release the dogs was less fortunate—she’d lost chunks of flesh from her abdomen and face, her injuries the most severe.

Those who needed to go to the hospital were sent off, those who needed to be cuffed were taken away. Tang and a few colleagues remained at the kennel to handle the aftermath, but the thought that all those vicious dogs had nearly been set loose left them seething.

Tang kicked the iron gate, making it clang loudly. “Damn it! Even without digging up their other crimes, resisting arrest and attacking officers is enough for me to bury him!”

“If he weren’t guilty, his first response wouldn’t have been to release the dogs,” one officer said, jotting down notes about the night’s events and sighing. “Dogs at the front and the back, and the ones behind are all banned aggressive breeds. This isn’t just about guarding against thieves.”

If they hadn't been well-prepared and acted decisively, any ordinary group of men would have been dog food by now.

“And those dogs were out for blood,” another young officer said, still shaken as he held his camera. “Straight for the throat—I don’t buy that this is just training.”

Tang’s face twitched. “Dig. Start digging in that yard right now!”